ISLAMABAD - Five suspected militants were killed when a US drone fired several missiles into Pakistan's lawless tribal region of south Waziristan, near the Afghanistan border, officials said on Saturday.
The CIA-operated drone fired nine missiles hitting a compound in the Waghar village of Barmal area, 30 kilometers from Wana, the main town in the region, on Saturday morning.

A local official told Pajhwok Afghan News on condition of anonymity five militants were killed and several others injured in the attack. He said the death toll could increase as some of the wounded were in critical condition.

Officials said the militants were loyal to Maulvi Nazir, a commander accused of having links to the Taliban and Al Qaeda and involvement in cross-border attacks.

It was the fourth such attack in the past three days in Waziristan. On Friday, four people were killed in a similar strike in the Shahzada Kot village of Datakhel area.

A key commander of the Haqqani network, Janbaz Zadran, was among those killed in the drone strike. US officials have confirmed the death of Zadran.